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Nifong apologizes to players
Durham County District Attorney Michael Nifong, who was behind the initial prosecution of three former Duke lacrosse players on charges of sexually assaulting an exotic dancer, publicly apologized to the men Thursday. Nifong's apology came one day after the three were declared innocent and charges against them were dismissed, following a review of the case by the state's attorney general. "To the extent that I made judgments that ultimately proved to be incorrect, I apologize to the three students that were wrongly accused," Nifong said in a written statement.However, he said he takes issue with the stinging rebuke delivered Wednesday by North Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper regarding his handling of the case. Cooper said the cases were "the result of a tragic rush to accuse and a failure to verify serious allegations" and said Nifong "pushed forward unchecked. There were many points in this case where caution would have served justice better than bravado." The North Carolina state bar filed ethics complaints against Nifong in December and January, accusing him of withholding DNA evidence from the players' defense attorneys and of "making misrepresentations to the presiding judge." Posted by: Fred 2007-04-13 |
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